The Integral Principle
by ActingRogue
Summary: AU Kagome and her twin brother Miroku have switched places. He's off to a shrine to enter priesthood, and she's training to become the first female knight in over 200 years. IK SM
1. To Begin With

A/N  
  
Hello everyone! Mary here, with my first real story. Oh, I need encouragement, too. Lots and lots. This is going to be a very long story and is going to take a very long time to write, so if you're not up to the challenge, leave now (wimps!).  
  
  
  
For those of you hanging with me, welcome! This story is by no means original. I stole the plot line from the Alanna series by Tamora Pierce. It's good. Go read.   
  
  
  
I have no beta reader, so forgive me if things aren't spelled properly or seem amiss. I'm taking applications, so if you're willing, drop me a line.  
  
  
  
Enough rambling…on with the show…  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
To Begin With  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Kagome was a girl. She was born one and that meant she would die one, and she has no choice in the matter.   
  
  
  
It wasn't that she didn't fancy being a girl. Sometimes is was nice to wear silken dresses and sleep in soft, down blankets surrounded by stuffed animals with names like "Coco" and "Mr. Bunnikins."   
  
  
  
However, as the inevitable day approached where she would be forced to leave home and into a shrine where she would train to be a powerful Miko, more often then not she wished that she could trade places with her twin brother, Miroku.   
  
  
  
As a Miko-in-training, she would sit around all day meditating and learning to "focus", and she strongly suspected that eventually the muscles in her legs would atrophied from lack of use and she would leave the shine a cripple. Miroku, on the other hand, would get to go off to a great castle and train to be a knight, someday wielding a sword that would save people. Save actual lives. Something that Kagome had always longed to do with her own life.   
  
  
  
Of course, it wasn't a choice for a woman. A female knight? Absolutely unheard of. It was either Miko, or kitchen wench in days like these. A man could choose either knighthood or priesthood, both considered noble professions. Poor Miroku, of course, wasn't given a choice either. The decision had been left up to they're powerful father. And what more could he ask? One child a knight, and one a Miko. One of everything. Have his cake and eat it too.  
  
  
  
Kagome was a little bitter.  
  
  
  
"It's unfair! I don't WANT to be a Miko, and you don't WANT to be a knight!" Kagome shrieked at her brother. They both sat in Miroku's plush and relatively expensive state room, the door locked and the tiny trinkets on the dresser reverberating Kagome's rage back at them. "I don't want to spend my life on the floor humming while people out there need my help!"  
  
  
  
Miroku took a good look at his sister as he sat down next to her. Her black hair was a mess, sticking in all directions, and her grey eyes were ablaze and she glared at the carpet. It was a composite of her entire personality ever since she'd been born. Kagome was a fire, in and out. She's never sat still in her life, and he couldn't help but acknowledge what a shame it was that she couldn't be a knight. At times in their childhood, she appeared as justice in carnet, always protecting her mild-mannered brother from the town thieves, or the kids of the palace servants from the older bullies that knew to keep their distance after seeing her in action. He sighed, shifting his own gaze to the purple fiber.  
  
  
  
"I guess this is just the way it is. We can't change what we were born, Kagome. I don't know what father was thinking, but we must go through with his wishes," he gulped audibly, "I will try my hardest to achieve knighthood and you must work hard at the shrine." He draped his lanky arm around her shoulders and squeezed slightly. "It will all work out."  
  
  
  
"You know that we're giving away all our future happiness on this. I will never be satisfied working as a shrine maid." She spat the phrase out like poison. "And you will never be contented as a knight." She leaned against her brother's shoulder and bit her lip, hard. "I hate this."  
  
  
  
"I know you do. So do I." There was a long pause in which neither of them moved. Finally, "I guess you'd better get back to your room and finish helping Lea pack your things. We leave early."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The next day was cold and threatened rain as early as the sunrise. Kagome and Miroku had said farewell to everyone in the palace, including their father. Kagome had made one last plea for her impending fate but, as it always had, it fell upon deaf ears as he gave her a kiss and sent them on their way. Their things had been sent ahead of them and Miroku and Kagome were to walk to the crossroads together and then in their own separate directions. When they reached the fork in the road they turned to face each other.   
  
  
  
"Well, this is it, I guess." said Kagome. Her eyes slid from him to the road beyond, filling with longing, and then back to him. She smiled wryly. "Have fun."   
  
  
  
He laughed. "You too. Remember what I said. You have to at least try. You actually have a lot of magical talent."   
  
  
  
"Yeah, great, that'll do the world so much good." She shook her head. "You sure we can't switch bodies?"  
  
  
  
"No, 'fraid not. Stuck as Kagome and Miroku Higurashi forever." Just then, a strange thought struck Miroku. A thought that seemed so obvious from the beginning but had chosen now to revel itself to him, and to Kagome if the way her eyes had widened was any indication.   
  
  
  
"We couldn't pull it off. Could we? I mean, honestly, someone is bound to notice. The registration letters…" Kagome pulled out a royal-looking letter from her robes, with a wax seal. Miroku pulled out an identical note and they both started.   
  
  
  
"I guess I could try…" Miroku gently pried the seal from one side of the paper, slowly separating it from the junction. When he finished, after what had seemed like hours, the seal was left completely unbroken, and unattached to the parchment. He looked Kagome in the eye and smiled shakily at her. "Are we really…? I mean, this is absolute craziness."  
  
  
  
Kagome nodded her head in agreement, but couldn't help laughing. "This is perfect!" She pulled her own seal in the same way until both letters lay open for inspection by the twins.   
  
  
  
Miroku pulled out a pen and started to work, mumbling to himself all the while. "Two sons…acceptance into the priesthood…respectfully request knightship…by the name of…" He stopped writing. "What should we call you? You can't run around with the name Kagome the whole time."  
  
  
  
"Just write Kag. No one will ever know the difference." She giggled again, and did a little hop.   
  
  
  
Miroku shook his head and looked back down at the letter. "By the name of Kag Higurashi," he finished. Looking back up, he shook his head. "You'll never pass for a guy if you keep acting like that, you know."   
  
  
  
A thought struck Kagome like a fright train, and she sagged. "I will never pass for a guy. I only know the female court manners! I don't know how to bow, or when," her voice rose in hysteria, "I can't walk like a man or talk like one. What if I have to dance with a woman?! This was a stupid idea."  
  
  
  
Miroku grabbed her arms to stop her flailing. "Stop it! Calm down. I'll give you a crash course in manners, and you can fake your way through the rest. Just copy what all the others do and you'll do fine. You're a fast learner." She took a deep breath and he let go, patting her on the head and looking at her critically.  
  
  
  
"First things first. We have to get rid of that hair…"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
When Kagome reached town, she was awestruck at the amount of people drifting through the streets. She had spent her entire life in a fairly small town in which she was hardly ever allowed into anyway, and the sight of a large city laid before her was overwhelming. Human and youkai alike were rumbling past one another, shopping and eating. A group of children to her right threw a wooden block back and fourth in some kind of game, laughing and running. For her part, Kagome had no idea where to start.  
  
  
  
She wandered the streets in a sort of daze, taking in everything around her. Wind blew through her newly cut hair. Strange and enjoyable smells filled the air, as did the shouts of market peddlers trying to sell "fish! finest silks! dried meat! flour! china bowls!" and anything else one could ever need. A man lightly grabbed her arm and asked if she knew where the apprentice training for blacksmiths was to start. She shrugged, and action that reminded her of the uncomfortable breast-band tied around her chest, and he ran off without another word. Kicking up a puff of dust, Kagome ran too. She had no idea where she was going, but she wanted to feel the earth under her feet.  
  
  
  
She dodged the groups of people and youki, jogging aimlessly until something caught her eye and she turned a sharp left. It was the castle that she was looking for before she got distracted. Kagome could do nothing but stand in wonder. It was huge! She thought that the palace that she'd spent most of her life in was a fairly good size, but it was a doll-house compared to the Goliath that stood before her. At least 120 ft from the ground to the top of the lowest tower, the castle seemed to almost touch the sun. A great gateway seemed to gnash at her, guards with swords posted at either side, separating the castle from the rest of the people on the street.   
  
  
  
Her marveling was brought to an abrupt halt as someone slammed into her from the side and she went tumbling. She didn't reach the ground before two hands caught her and hauled her back to her feet, leaving her with no time to catch her breath before she felt the lightest pressure on her side. Something almost anyone would dismiss if they didn't know what to look for. Unfortunately for who ever this was, Kagome wasn't almost anyone and she didn't think twice before she swung her fist and it connected with a very hard jaw.  
  
  
  
"I'll thank you not to go around picking my pocket." She huffed, cradling her hand to her chest and glaring defiantly at the figure now on his knees. When he jerked his head up, Kogome's breath caught.  
  
  
  
It was a man, roughly her age, but obviously not human. His amber eyes glared back at her just as fiercely, but the effect was somewhat lost on her as she caught sight of his ears. They were shaped like dog ears and where buried in the amazing white hair at the top of his head. The hair itself was long, about half way down his back, smudged with dirt toward the ends, but no less beautiful.   
  
  
  
"Bastard! Do you know how many men strike me and live?" His voice was gruff and as he got to his feet, Kagome started to wish that she had thought this through a little more. He was a very tall man, and he had very sharp-looking claws attached to his hands. When she looked down, Kagome could see a rusty sword fastened to his side. Not nearly as threatening as the rest of him, but still more then she had at her disposal.   
  
  
  
"What kind of a man are you?" He snorted. And then paused, moved closer, and sniffed her. Kagome backpedaled so fast that she tripped over her own feet and landed on her butt in the dust. He leaned over her and took one more sniff. "No kind of man, I see." Kagome saw two fangs poking through his lips as he spoke, narrowing his eyes into cat-like slits at her. "What are you up to, wench?"  
  
  
  
Panicked, Kagome scrambled to her feet and attempted to run (after all, she wasn't a knight yet), but the man grabbed her collar and yanked her back. "I asked you a question, you little-"  
  
  
  
"Halt! Release that young man!" The guards from the castle gate had obviously heard the commotion and come over to rescue her. The man dropped her back in the dirt and made a run for it, quickly disappearing into the crowd of people.   
  
  
  
One of the guards, a huge black man with a salt and pepper beard, offered his frying-pan sized hand. Kagome took it and pulled herself on to her feet.  
  
  
  
"If there something we can help you with, son? You're looking a little lost, and it's not a good idea to go punching the Head of Thieves." The other guard, a younger man with shaggy hair, nodding seriously in agreement.  
  
  
  
"I'm sorry, I didn't… I mean, yes, I'm hear for the knight training. The what of Thieves?"   
  
  
  
The older guard laughed at her and threw an arm around her shoulder companionably; a move that thoroughly shocked Kagome, considering the only person to have ever done such a thing was her twin brother. Kagome doubted that Miroku's whole body weighed as much as that one arm, and her knees nearly buckled under the weight.  
  
  
  
"We'll get you to where you need to be. You've had quite a first day already!"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Miroku, on the other hand, was having, what he considered, a perfect first day. When he had reached the shrine, his tongue had nearly dropped out of his skull. Beautiful women were everywhere, sashaying their lovely backsides here and their, almost daring him to reach out and touch one.   
  
  
  
He was very, very lost, he realized at one point when he'd passed the same fountain for the fourth time. However, it made no difference to Miroku. Or, it wouldn't have, if he hadn't been two hours late for the enrollment that he had promised Kagome he would attend on time. It was a good excuse to stop on of the exquisite women and ask directions. He tapped one on the shoulder.  
  
  
  
"Pardon me, but might you be able to show me to where the priesthood enrollment was to be held?"  
  
  
  
The woman stopped and gave him a skeptical look. She was wearing a long skirt and loose top, and her sandals flopped lightly on the ground as she turned to face him. Long, dark hair swung over her shoulder. Hair that had been concealing a rather large and dangerous looking weapon tied to her back. Miroku swallowed. Just figured he would pick the one girl that could kick his ass… She eyed him up and down, something Miroku thoroughly enjoyed, and nodded for him to follow. He did, staring downward the entire time.   
  
  
  
She led him to a small room with rice-paper walls and bamboo mats laid in rows on the floor and gestured with her hand. "Here you go. I'll fetch someone to help you. Just stay here. You're awfully late." She disappeared a moment later and he was left alone.  
  
  
  
The shrine was relatively small to what he was use to calling home, but he could feel the calming and positive energy that only a holy place could ever seem to provide for him. Sunlight seemed to fill every space in the room, and he could faintly hear a combination of ritual humming and chanting in the distance. Excitement built in him at the thought that he would soon join people like himself. People dedicated to a life of servitude to a greater power. This was where his lifelong spiritual journey would begin.   
  
  
  
The door swung open the reveal the woman from before and a tiny, wrinkled man following after her. She bowed a few inches to the man as he passed her and stood to the side politely. The man stopped about a foot from Miroku, straightening his back expectantly. It took Miroku a few moments of confused silence before he realized what the old man was waiting for a made a hurried bow.  
  
  
  
"Sensei. I am honored to meet you. Please forgive my lateness." Miroku straightened and looked down at the old man. "I'm afraid I got lost in your beautiful temple."  
  
  
  
"My name is Myoga" He gestured toward the woman. "This is Sango. I am the master of this shrine and she is my protector. You have missed the enlistment." He held out a shriveled hand, "Let me see your registration letter."  
  
  
  
Miroku reached a shaky hand into his robes and pulled out the now perfectly sealed letter from his father. Myoga studied the seal for a moment, and then pulled it in half to examine the contents. He read through the letter quickly and then looked back up at Miroku with a dubious eye.  
  
  
  
"I thought the Lord Higurashi was sending us a daughter."  
  
  
  
"A common misconception," Miroku blurted out. His heart was thumping in his chest and he could only hope that lie detection was not one of the skills mastered at the Sunset Shrine. "We have no idea who started this rumor, but I assure you, my father has no daughter. Twin boys. My brother has been sent to become a knight, and I a priest."  
  
  
  
For what seemed like a full five minutes, the old man studied Miroku. He walked in a circle around him, taking in his purple robes, eyes lingering when they reached the floor. Miroku had been forced to switch half of his clothes with Kagome and take her ceremonial, and thankfully unisex, robes. Robes that only reached the top of his ankles, while they hung to the floor on his sister. Finally, Myoga stood flush before him and looked him in the eye.   
  
  
  
"I will make sure you receive your supplies for the year." He inclined his head and turned toward the door. "As it stands, you are new here, and the son of a powerful lord. Therefore, I will forgive your tardiness. Do not let it happen again, or I will be forced to send you back to your father. Sango, please show Miroku to his room."   
  
  
  
Sango bowed again and hurried out of the room, with Miroku on her heels. She walked quickly down the hall and turned a sharp right, Miroku ramming against the corner of the wall as he tried to follow. She had almost cat-like speed and grace, and Miroku was memorized, even as he followed clumsily after. After much weaving in and out, she stopped in front of a plane, wooden door.  
  
  
  
"This is your room. You'll have everything you need for tonight, and the rest of your provisions should be sent by tomorrow." She started to turn away.   
  
  
  
"Wait! Where's your room?" She gazed at him with a level eye, turned suddenly very cold, and he rushed to elaborate. "I mean, should I need help finding my way again. It's a big shrine and I am but one man."  
  
  
  
"I live in the room nearest the main entrance." She turned away again, and Miroku, try as he might, couldn't resist…  
  
  
  
"Kyaaa!"   
  
  
  
Something very hard and heavy hit the center of his head and his hand dropped away from her end, the rest of him falling dizzily to the floor. He gawked dumbly at her as she strapped the boomerang back to her shoulder and gave him a disapproving stare.   
  
  
  
"Hentai."   
  
  
  
And with that, she was gone down the long hallway, her dark hair swinging around the corner as he lifted his head to look. Dropping it back down to the floor, he closed his eyes and sighed.  
  
  
  
Miroku was in love.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The guards led Kagome through the foremost gate and into the main hall. As she walked, she could hear nothing but the sound of her own breathing and the footfalls of the men beside her. She again asked herself silently what she thought she was doing, putting herself in such a situation. As they reached the meeting room, she answered herself the same way she had since that morning. I'm becoming a knight.   
  
  
  
It was really nothing more then a stone room, but it was massive! Torches where lit along the wall, illuminating an arched ceiling that reached upward into a dark oblivion. Grey columns stood majestically to the sides, and a large wooden table was in the center of the room, filled with people. Young men, all her age, sat and talked with each other, laughing and whispering. Some turned to watch her walk in, but quickly lost interest and went back to their conversations. The large, black guard, who had introduced himself as Jiro, gave her a light shove toward an empty chair.  
  
  
  
"Just sit yourself down and wait with the others. The prince will be in with everyone shortly and then everything'll begin." He gave her a friendly smile. "Welcome to your new home!"  
  
  
  
Kagome moved slowly sat down on the corner of the table, next to a young man with dark hair and wide eyes. There were a few youki scattered through out the group, and Kagome tried to make sure she didn't come close enough for one to catch her scent. She had no idea how she could avoid being sniffed out for the entire three years, but she was going to make damn sure she at least made it through the orientation.  
  
  
  
The young man she had sat next to smiled at her and offered his hand. "Hi! My name is Hojo."  
  
  
  
Kagome took the hand, leaning away from him. He looked human enough, but she didn't want to take any chances. "Kag Higurashi."  
  
  
  
"So, are you excited about becoming a knight?" He asked. "I wasn't too happy about it, but my father insisted and really, what can you do when a father says no? He's a farmer not to far from here and he says it was a great honor to be invited to train for knighthood. I don't know how much of an honor it is. I mean, knights are just at the whim of everyone around them. Like servants if you think about it-"  
  
  
  
Hojo was interrupted by the sound of trumpets blasting through the room. Two very royal-looking players had stepped in and stood on either side of the door, performing what she assumed to be an announcement of arrival. One of the players stepped away from the wall.  
  
  
  
"Prince Kouga!" The name rang off of the stone and echoed impressively into the corners of the room. Kagome saw several of the young men sit up straighter, and several more slouch farther down into their chairs.   
  
  
  
Suddenly, a streak of brown blurred through the doorway, around the men, and landed in the chair at the head of the table. From her vantage point, Kagome could just make out the prince. He was obviously a youkai, dressed in furs with long, brown hair, and ears similar to the ears of the man on the street. A tail stuck out from behind him.  
  
  
  
"Good afternoon." His voice was rich and it was obvious from his body language that he was royalty. "I'm Prince Kouga, and this is training for knighthood. Anyone with doubts about becoming a knight had better leave now. I warn you that these three years of your life are going to be hard. You will sweat and you will bleed and you'll do it all for your kingdom. If you are unable or unwilling, please go home."   
  
  
  
No one moved.  
  
  
  
"Good! In that case, welcome to the castle. For those of you who don't know, knightship is a three-year process. In the first year, you are a paige. This is where you get basic training with hand-to-hand combat as well as weapons training. Swords will be the most commonly used weapon in your education, so you'd better make friends with it now. In the second year, you will be a squire. You will be apprenticed to a third year student, helping them with their everyday responsibilities. They will train you for four hours a day, and then they will use you as an adversary in their own training for how ever long they need. You will also be required to attend intermediate classes. In the third year, you will take on a squire, training them and using them for your training. You will attend refinement classes, you will spend all day, every day training. You will learn to fight on horseback. You will push yourself to the limit. And at the end of your third year, you will take a written exam and go through The Ordeal. The Ordeal is not something that can be explained or prepared for. You will face it and you will either survive, or not. Knights who have survived The Ordeal have been sword to secrecy, so don't bother asking them about it."  
  
  
  
The room was deathly silent. The shuffling and conversation had long stopped, but it seemed as though everyone had quit breathing. The prince scanned the room and grinned, canine teeth showing through. He stood up and nodded his head once.  
  
  
  
"Now that that's been cleared up, I'd like to add a personal note. I myself am a squire. If we happen to train together or share a class, please drop the formalities. When learning, I am not a prince, but a pupil. And a peer. Please treat me as such. I'll collect your registration letters."  
  
  
  
He strode around the room, taking the rolled paper from shaking hands. When he got to Hojo, the young man laughed nervously.  
  
  
  
"I didn't think The Ordeal was such a big…well…ordeal. Heh. I mean, it sounds like something that-"  
  
  
  
The prince ignored him and moved to Kagome. When she reached up to hand him her letter, he paused and made a narrowed eye contact with her. She gazed steadily back at him, even though she was sure he could hear her heartbeat pick up. His eyes wandered down to her clothes, and his eyebrow rose. He studied her for a full minute before speaking.  
  
  
  
"What is your name?"  
  
  
  
She swallowed. "Kag Higurashi."  
  
  
  
"Stand up for me, won't you?"   
  
  
  
Kagome felt her knees threaten to give out as she obeyed. She'd been caught. She would be kicked out, back to a life she didn't want. Her brother would be forced out of the shrine. She'd let him, and herself, down, and there was no way out. Kouga positioned her feet so that she stood flush before the entire table. He moved to stand beside her, and she closed her eyes as he opened his mouth  
  
  
  
"Take a good look, men." He clapped a hand to her shoulder. "This man is prepared to go all the way."   
  
  
  
She jerked her head up. What was he doing?  
  
  
  
"Just look at the fire in his eyes. The readiness in his stance. Higurashi here is going to make a fine knight. We should all be as zealous as he." He pushed down on her lightly. "Keep that enthusiasm Higurashi. You're going to need it. You're all going to need it. Take your seat."  
  
  
  
Kagome sat down with wide eyes. Why hadn't he given her away? What was he playing at? The prince was a youkai and had obviously smelled her. Hojo, and many of the others, where gawking at her with a mixture of admiration and jealousy, and she tried to sink lower into her chair. The prince made his way back to the front of the hall.   
  
  
  
"So! Are there any questions?"  
  
  
  
The meeting went on for another hour, almost everyone asking questions of Kouga. He nodded and answered with perfect ease, but Kagome could feel his eyes linger on her. When everything was done, he dismissed them all to their rooms.  
  
  
  
"Higurashi! A word?"  
  
  
  
Everyone filtered out until she was left alone with the youkai. He sat back down at the head of the table and gestured at the chair to his right. She took the seat.  
  
  
  
"So, what's your real name?"  
  
  
  
The tone of his voice permitted no argument. There was no point in denying it.   
  
  
  
"Kagome."  
  
  
  
"That's a lovely name." He sighed and turned to her. "Women are not knights. It's against the law. If you were caught, you could be fined, jailed, or even killed." She nodded. A look of surprise passed over his face, before it settled into something like respect. "You knew this, did you? You must be brave. What are you doing here?"  
  
  
  
Kagome told him the entire story.   
  
  
  
  
  
When she was finished, he leaned back into his chair and shook his head.  
  
  
  
"That's quite a chronicle. So the only ones who know your secret are your brother, this 'Head of Thieves,' and now me." She nodded, and he was quiet for a moment.  
  
  
  
"Kagome, I'm going to help you." He gave a loud whistle and a guard walked into the room. Kouga whispered something into his ear and he bowed and rushed off.   
  
  
  
"I'm not a fan of the law that says that women can't be knights. My father fully supports it, of course, but I feel that it's a waste of manpower. Women are just as capable as men in such fields, and talking to you, I am confident that you are as committed to such an endeavor as any man coming in this year. Will you accept my help?"  
  
  
  
She was stunned. Never could she have hoped for such a good amount of luck. "Yes! I mean, I will absolutely be willing to accept your help. Please. Thank you."  
  
  
  
The guard hurried back into the room and handed Kouga a green bottle. He bowed again and walked out. Kouga put the bottle on the table and nudged it toward her. Kagome opened it and poured a little of it onto her finger. It was clear oil.  
  
  
  
"Rub this on your skin after every bath. It will hide your scent from any other youki that you may bump into. When you run out, come and find me and I'll get you some more." He leaned forward and grabbed her hand. "Kagome, please listen to me. You must keep your secret from as many people as you can. This would be a hard journey on you under normal circumstances. You're going to have to lie to people that you will come to care about. Just remember, I know your secret and I'm on your side."  
  
  
  
With that, he stood and offered her his hand. She took it and stood as well. "Go find your room now. Tomorrow you will attend your first classes, and you must be well rested." He started to walk out of the room, but turned back. "Oh, and don't worry about the 'Head of Thieves.' I'll take care of it personally." He left.  
  
  
  
Kagome wandered out of the meeting hall in a daze. So many things had happened in so little time, that it all took a while to digest. The prince himself had found her out and was helping keep her secret. She wondered how Miroku was liking the shrine. Hopefully he had met at least one friend, and hopefully he wouldn't let their situation slip. She wondered if he would be disappointed in her for being found out by not only one, but two people in the first day. Granted, they where extenuating circumstances beyond her control…  
  
  
  
By the time she reached her room, all the other men had fallen asleep, leaving her to dress for bed alone. So many thoughts swirled through her head as she slipped under the sheets. Who was the man that everyone called the Head of Thieves? He had been intimidating, but Kagome had got the feeling that he wouldn't have actually hurt her. She could only hope that the prince wouldn't do something overly nasty while 'taking care of it personally.'   
  
  
  
The prince. He was a good-looking man. Slightly arrogant, but that was to be expected of royalty, and he was going to help her. Out of all the people she could have on her side, the prince was nearly the best she could think of, second only behind the King and Queen.   
  
  
  
It seemed that, in general, things had fallen to her favor. It was a very decent way to end her first day as a knight in training.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
A/N   
  
Told you it would be long. This is just the first part. Got something to say? R/R! Just to let everyone know, I'm moving into college on Thursday, so the next part may take some time. It's my first story, so I'm vulnerable. Boost my confidence, won't you? 


	2. The Incomparable Value of This Teaching

A/N  
  
Wow, that took a while! Sorry about that. College is fun and hard and...yeah. Can you tell it's final's season? Anywho, here is the second installment of my lovely story. It's not as long as the first chapter, but I think it's tighter and easier to read then the first one was. We'll see, I guess.  
  
I had a lot of questions so... This is going to be an Inu/Kag story, but what good is that if Kouga's not around to cause mayhem? That's always a fun angle to play. :) I got the idea from the Alanna stories, but I'm going to branch off from that. I doubt by the end it will resemble anything close to Tamora Pierce. To those of you who thought they knew how it would end, sorry! Also, we are going to jump back and forth between Miroku and Kagome, but it will mainly focus on her. Eventually, both of them will come together again, but right now I have no idea when that will be. Any other questions? Just review! Or E-mail me. Whichever, I'm not picky.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
The Incomparable Value of This Teaching  
  
Miroku had been sitting. And sitting. And sitting. His first day of classes, and it had been all about "how to position your body to amplify the effect of a spell." He didn't think he could ever look at sitting the same way again. At lunch, a rather squatty youkai sat with him, introducing himself as Hachi. They chatted for a while, and Hachi even gave him an herb to take away the pain in his back. A few more classes, slapped by a few more woman, and it was dinner.   
  
Miroku had the incredible luck of being behind the girl from yesterday, Sango, when waiting for his food. He tried to start up a conversation wit her, but she simply ignored him and turned away. Obviously she was still sore over his little lapse of control. He'd have to fix that.   
  
He followed her to her table and sat down next to her. When she glared at him, he merely grinned and held out his hand.  
  
"Miroku."  
  
"I remember who you are." She snapped, "Hands to yourself."  
  
The other girls at the table giggled and whispered among themselves. Sango was caught between embarrassment and rage. She looked ready to order him from the table, so he reached out and snagged her hand, shocking her into silence.  
  
"I wanted to apologize for yesterday." He seized a sweet roll off of his plate and plopped it in her hand. "Your beauty overwhelmed my common sense for a moment. Please, take this as a peace offering." He could tell she was scandalized, but she eyed the roll as he let go. The girls were now staring at her, waiting to see what she would do.  
  
She glowered at him harder, but her stomach apparently won out because she took the roll and bit into it. Some of the girls started cheering, and she rolled her eyes when Miroku send them a dazzling smile.  
  
"There, I accepted your apology. Go away."  
  
He beamed in her general direction, stood up and bowed to the entire table, grabbed his food and swaggered off to sit with Hachi. Behind him he could hear the girls squealing, "Oh, Sango! He's cute!" "What a charmer! Where did you find him?" "Someone's got a thing for you!"  
  
Miroku was feeling rather good about himself by the time he reached Hachi's table. The guys had been watching the entire exchange, and several clapped him on the back as he sat down.  
  
"You faced the shrew and you're still in one piece." Cried a boy named Nobunaga, "That's impressive." Many of the boys chorused in agreement, several laughing.  
  
"The shrew?"  
  
"That's Sango's nickname around here." Hachi told him. "She's been here for a few years as Myoga-sensei's personal body guard." He took a sip of his drink.  
  
Miroku tried to be casual, but he was egger to learn what he could about her. "Where was she before she came here? Where's her family?"  
  
Hachi grew solemn and set down his food. "Sango lived in a Taijiya village not far from here. It's rumored she was the most skilled in her family, and I guess it must be true. A group of youkai attacked the village and everyone was killed. Well, everyone except her. She showed up on the shrine's doorstep with a scythe in her back and once she healed, Myoga asked her to stay and protect him."  
  
"Old Myoga's not the bravest knight in the kingdom!" Jeered Nobunaga again. Hachi laughed, but it was half-hearted. Miroku didn't even bother, instead twisting the beads around his right hand and staring into space.  
  
~  
  
  
  
Kagome was asleep before her head hit the pillow, like most of the boys in her dorm. The day had been grueling and she had the feeling that the boys would have been complaining about the ungodly pace of the training if any of them had the energy to do so. As it was, they all stumbled into their sleeping clothes with eyes already half shut and fell into their cots with no more then a grateful sigh before the snoring started.   
  
Kagome herself got a solid two hours of sleep before she was awakened by a sharp pinch to her upper thigh. She bolted upright, her cry of pain muffled when a hand clamped over her mouth. Struggling to turn herself around, she actually managed a sharp elbow to someone's stomach before she heard a raspy voice snap in her ear. "Shut up! I have orders to collect you, so we can do this the easy way or the hard way." Moonlight glinted off the sword edge that was suddenly very close to her windpipe. Her efforts stilled, and the hand was removed from her face. "Good. Now get up slowly." She did as she was told, and was immediately blindfolded. A hand shoved her forward and out the door.  
  
"Who are you?" She was proud at the sound of her whisper. Fierce, not at all sounding like a girl who was trying desperately not to cry. The man, however, wasn't impressed. She heard him snort behind her and then he was silent. He continued to shove her outside of the castle walls and into the streets. She staggered along for a while until he stopped to open a door and drag her through.   
  
"Finally." The voice was familiar, but she couldn't quite place it until the blindfold was ripped off. The man from the street who had tried to pick her pocket. The Head-of-whatsit. He was sitting in a chair, next to a fire in a far corner. The room smelled of alcohol and incense, furnished with a table and a few chairs. He smirked at her and waved a hand to the man who had grabbed her. "Bankotsu, you took long enough." The man, Bankotsu, bowed a little sarcastically, but said nothing. The silver-haired man looked her up and down, his gaze lingering on her bare feet, now cut and bleeding from being pushed over the dirt roads of the city. "You could have given him a chance to put on some shoes, at least."  
  
"Highness, the boy put up a bit of a fight. Took an elbow to the gut before I got him to go along peacefully." He rubbed his stomach to emphasize his point. The silver haired man smirked again and waved his hand dismissively.  
  
"Get out of here. You did well." Bankotsu bowed again and left. Kagome eyed the door as she watched him leave and swung her gaze back to the man. He gestured for her to sit down. She straightened her spine defiantly and he sniggered. "I'm not going to hurt you, for now. Sit down Kagome."  
  
"How do you know my name?" Now she was really panicking. How much had Kouga told this man? It didn't seem like they were on very good terms, and Kagome didn't trust him at all. Something about him grated on her nerves, to say the least, and now he had kidnapped her in the middle of the night. It didn't inspire a lot of confidence…  
  
"I got a visit from the Prince and a few of his closest bodyguards. Thanks for dragging me into your huge mess, by the way." He gestured again, and this time she sat down. He threw her a towel and she caught it without thinking. "Wipe off your feet, you're bleeding all over my floor." He paused, looking lost in thought for a moment.. "Not that it hasn't been bled on before…" The glint in his eye told Kagome that he wasn't kidding and she shuddered. He caught it out of the corner of his eye and smirked.  
  
Kagome cleaned her feet, but she watched him dubiously. For his part, he simply leaned back in his chair and watched her in an unnerving way. His tawny eyes were more then typically piercing and they seemed to bore into her, picking her apart without any effort at all. When she was finished, she threw the bloody towel back at him and huffed when he grabbed it without flinching. He threw it into a pail of water behind him and leaned forward again.   
  
She waited for him to say something, and when he didn't, she took it upon herself. "I've had a very long day. Is there some reason you needed to drag me out of my warm bed in the middle of the night?"  
  
"Listen wench," he stood to tower over her, "you're the one who got me involved in this whole situation-"  
  
Irrational rage flooded her veins and she flew from her chair. "Excuse me! You're the one who tried to pick MY pocket." She poked him in the chest with a finger. "You ran into ME." She poked him again. "You got yourself involved! Don't blame me because you're a roguish thief who fell into more then he could handle."   
  
She turned and started toward the door. "I didn't ask anything from you! Go ahead and tell everyone if you like-" She cut herself off when he grabbed her by the arm and threw her back into her chair.  
  
"I said to listen, not talk!" He slammed his clawed hands on each armrest and leaned in, his nose inches from hers. When he spoke, it was in a hushed and alarming tone. "I'm not going to tell anyone. However, not to protect anything that has to do with you. Kouga and I need to stay on good terms and I am being made to keep your secret." He leaned in even closer and glanced down pointedly. "You're lucky you don't lose that finger."   
  
For a moment, there was silence. Then, quite suddenly, Kagome stood from her chair and promptly yanked his left ear with her thumb and forefinger. He yelped, a sound she was sure not many had heard, and was quick to stand when she wrenched him up alongside of her. He reached up to try and dislodge her abusive fingers, but she gave his ear another jerk. He actually started to growl at her, but she wasn't fazed. She dragged him a few feet for good measure and turned to face him.  
  
"What's your name?" He glared at her for a few seconds and her fingers tightened again in warning.  
  
"Inuyasha."   
  
"Well listen up, Inuyasha. I admit that I didn't have a plan going into this. I admit I'm at your mercy when it comes to my secret and I admit that chances are I won't make it through this unscathed. Mark my words, however, that I will not allow myself to be treated in any substandard way due to my sex. By anyone." She let go and he immediately sprung to a far corner to address his abused ear. "This means you. Don't threaten me. If you're going to do something, then do it."  
  
He rubbed the mistreated appendage and frowned at her pointedly. If she hadn't known better, she would have thought that he was pouting.  
  
"You have quite a temper, you know that?"  
  
"Me!" He exploded, "Wench, you're the one who almost ripped my ear off!"  
  
"Well, if you would be a little more cordial, maybe I wouldn-"  
  
"I'm being unreasonable!? You think its okay to go around tugging-"  
  
"Would you just shut up for a minute?" He did, albeit unhappily. She sighed wearily and sagged into a chair. Both of them were silent for a long while.   
  
Finally, he took his hands from his head and flicked his ear back experimentally. He winced, but came out of the corner to sit in the chair across from her. "No permanent damage, thanks for asking."   
  
"I'm sorry I twisted your ear." He looked shocked, and she giggled wearily. "You deserved it, but you ears look sensitive and I'm sure it hurt." The day was catching up with her, and her eyelids started to droop. She leaned forward in her chair and held out a hand. "Friends?"  
  
"No." She drew back her hand dejectedly, but he grabbed it and shook it. "Associates." He stated firmly, and she nodded. That would have to be enough.  
  
"Come on, let's get you back."  
  
~  
  
Dragging her injured feet, Kagome made her way back to her bed. Visions of pillows, blankets, soft fluffy clouds, cotton balls the size of a castle, anything she could curl up and sleep on really, dancing through her head. She didn't know what time it was, but she was pretty sure she didn't have much time life to sleep before they were all woken up for the next day's classes. Sometimes she hated her life.  
  
Something clacked behind her, and she whirled around to see what it was. A boy, no older then thirteen with black hair and blue eyes, stood in the middle of the hallway. He had something long and sharp looking in his hand and he was gazing at her with a blank expression.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Hi." He waved.  
  
"What are you doing?" She was backing up, slow and clumsy because she was so tired.  
  
"Putting away the weapons. I work here."   
  
"Oh." She sighed. It didn't occur to her to ask why he was putting away the weapons at such a sacrilegious hour. She was exhausted and he worked here. "Well, be careful."  
  
"I will."  
  
She shuffled off to bed, never seeing the dark figure that loomed in the shadows, watching her every move.  
  
A/N  
  
Dum Dum Dum! Cheesy I know, but it's a classic line, isn't it?  
  
You know where de review botton is, mon. It's crying out, Click me! Click me!  
  
* Grrrr...I can't get this formatting right. If anyone has a solution, I'd love to hear it! 


	3. The Duke

A/N   
  
Everything is going according to plan… So, I'm on my winter break, so now I have more time to write. Yay! I'd like to thank my new beta Sashlea. She did a fabulous job on this chapter. It's so nice to have someone read through this jazz before I post it. ::Sigh:: Well, lots and lost of action below. Stuff picks up in this chapter. A lot.  
  
To squeakyinuears, you got it! You were the only one to say who the boy with the blank expression was. Congrats. Happy Christmas everyone!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
The Duke  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
She was late for class. Toutousai, her swordsmanship instructor, was so befuddled that he probably wouldn't notice, but Kagome didn't want to push it. She was on thin ice as it was and she refused to get kicked out for something like spilling juice on her tunic and having to run back and change. The hallways were empty as she jogged down them when the church bells in town chiming out the hour. She groaned, and shot blindly down the hallway, dashing around a corner only to hit a solid chest, sending her and the other person to the floor.  
  
She looked up to apologize and her grey eyes locked with dark violet ones. Something abruptly pounded through her veins, in time with her heartbeat. It felt powerful, unnatural, and malice, leaving Kagome lightheaded. It took a breathless moment for her to realize that whatever it was, it was coming from the man on the floor front of her. What the hell?   
  
He was in his late twenties with long, black hair and sharp, but handsome, features. He didn't look like anything out of the ordinary, but he clearly felt something from her as well. She could see some emotion flicker through his eyes before he regained his composure. Climbing to his feet, he gave her a look of utter abhorrence, and began brushing real or imaginary dirt off of the front of his robe as he obviously waited for her apology. Quickly, Kagome scrambled to her own feet and bowed.  
  
"Forgive me sir; I was late for class and not watching where I was going."  
  
He appeared to size her up before he promptly brushed past her without a word and she was left to watch him disappear down the hallway. The unnatural feeling had evaporated when he'd broken eye contact with her, but she couldn't shake an instinct that told her that he was a man that needed watching.   
  
~ [Several days later]  
  
"Higurashi! Tighten up on your lunges! Hojo, don't make me come over there. Bunza, loosen your grip before you break your wrist!" Hand-to-hand combat was not Kagome's strong suit, she was quickly coming to realize. Professor Kouryu was more unmanageable then any of her other teachers, and every time she left his class, it was in a significantly worse mood then when she had entered. It seemed like every muscle ached all the time. It had already been a week, and the pace of their training was not easing up. If anything, it was steadily increasing.   
  
Eshi, Kagome's sparing partner, threw a left-handed punch that she was unprepared for. She absorbed some of the force with her block, but it was weak and his fist broke through and glanced off her cheekbone before he was able curb it. She stumbled back and landed on the mat behind her.   
  
"Kag! What the hell was that?" Kouryu came over and stood above her, looking down with plain disapproval.   
  
"I'm sorry, sir. I couldn't block fast enough."  
  
"No enemy is going to pull a punch because you 'couldn't block fast enough.' Listen up, all of you." The entire class stopped what they were doing to look, turning Kagome an awkward shade of red as she sat at his feet hopelessly. "This is about survival. We have three years to whip you into shape and then send you off to fight. You're beginners making beginner mistakes. Keep it up and you will die, and you'll do it soon."  
  
With that, he walked away. Everyone went back to running drills while Eshi held out a hand to help Kagome up.  
  
"I don't know what Kouryu's problem is, but he should have Shouga take a look at it as soon as possible." Shouga was the chief palace healer and resident cook. "It sounds like its getting worse."  
  
Kagome smiled but said nothing, and they went back to practicing. About midway through the lesson, the man that Kagome now knew as Kouga's messenger came into the room and whispered a few words to Kouryu before coming over to Kagome.  
  
"His majesty the Prince requests your presents after class in his accommodations."  
  
"Umm…tell his majesty, I will gladly meet him."  
  
The messenger bowed to her and turned to leave. Hojo leaned over from his group to whisper in her ear. "What is that all about?"  
  
Kagome shrugged as she watched the man go. "I have no idea."  
  
After class, Kagome pushed her way through the crowds of boys to get to Kouga's room. When she arrived, Kouga was pacing back and forth, looking for all the world like he hadn't slept in years. His two friends, Hakkaku and Ginta, were at his side. Neither looked any better then their prince. The man that Kagome had run into in the hallway a few days ago was standing in a corner, but not looking at her, instead focusing on Kouga. The prince looked up when she entered and immediately sat in a chair at the table, motioning for her to do the same.  
  
"Kag, something has come up. My parents have fallen ill and I have to attend to them." It was common knowledge that the king and queen where overseas negotiating with a neighboring kingdom. "It all happened very suddenly, and I have to leave tonight. Hakkaku and Ginta are going to accompany me, which leaves my uncle, the Duke Naraku to look after everyone in my absence. He teaches some higher level classes. You'll have him next year."  
  
The man came forward as Kouga spoke, and settled in next to them. A steady thrumming had started behind Kagome's eyes, and it worsened the closer he came. She tried not to be obvious, but she couldn't help leaning away from him. He still wouldn't meet her eyes, and she wasn't sure how upset she was about that. How could she stand to have him for a teacher?  
  
"I'm appointing someone from each class as a sort of primary director for occasions when my parents and I are away. I know you have a lot on your plate, but would you mind? If anything major comes up, you can always come to Naraku and he will handle it personally. Won't you, Naraku?"  
  
The Duke nodded, and stole a glance at her. The minute their eyes met, the same rush of malice energy from the other day poured through her veins, pounding with every heartbeat. She hastily broke away before she fainted. What is he?  
  
"Kouga, you know I will gladly take up any responsibility while you're away." His voice was dark and silky. It would have been very charming if Kagome could bear to be near him without feeling ill. "Please send along my regards and well wishes to your dear mother and father. It is my sincerest regret that I cannot escort you to their bedside."  
  
"Thank you Naraku. I'll pass along your respects. Kag," he waited for her to focus on him, "will you do this? You're the only one in the paige class I'd trust with such an undertaking."  
  
"O-of course, your Highness. Anything you need, simply ask." Kouga's shoulders collapsed in relief, and he gave her a shaky smile. She had the distinct feeling that if he weren't the prince, he would be breaking down right in front of her. She found herself feeling infinitely sorry for him.  
  
"Thank you Kag. I won't forget this." He stood from his chair, and Hakkaku and Ginta immediately flanked him on either side. "I hope to be back in a week or less. Send for me if anything should arise." With that, they left. She was alone with the Duke.  
  
He rose from his chair, carefully keeping his eyes locked on a painting across the room. Spanning the distance, he pretended to study it for a moment before he opened his mouth, not turning to face her.  
  
"Higurashi." It wasn't a question, but she answered anyway.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
There was a slight pause. "We have a problem, you and I."  
  
"Do we?" She didn't mean for that to sound as snarky as it did, but no taking it back now.  
  
He turned to face her sharply, bringing on the pulse. "Indeed we do." He continued to gaze at her, forcing her to look at the ground before she collapsed. Several moments of charged silence passed before he spoke again. "My quarters are at the end of the hall, if anything should come up." Somehow, he'd managed to make it sound like a threat.  
  
When she looked up again, he was gone.  
  
~  
  
The staff didn't move. Miroku re-chanted the ancient incantation, held out his hand and…   
  
Nothing. His staff sat two feet away, mocking him with it's refusal to budge.  
  
"Damnit! This is the easiest spell in the book, why can't I do it?"   
  
Miko Suijin laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Miroku, everything we do here at the shrine is connected to your emotions. You have to want it. And don't swear in my class."  
  
"Madam Suijin, I understand your teaching." He sighed and looked up at her seriously. "I know of something that may help my focus. Might you be willing to bear my-"  
  
"Miroku, no. It was no the last twelve times, and it will be no the next twelve. If you don't stop asking, I may have to resort to violence." She walked away.   
  
Miroku sighed and shot a hostile glare at his staff. Nobunaga sauntered over, with his staff in hand. He gave a pointed glance at the one on the floor and then looked back at Miroku with a smirk.  
  
"Having some trouble calling your staff, Miroku? Well, it can't be to far off. After all, everyone else has been able to do it at least once."  
  
"Oh, shove off Nobunaga." Hachi said in his friend's defense. "Miroku has more magical talent in his little finger then you do in your whole body."  
  
"Hmm. We'll see…" He said cryptically, and ambled away again.  
  
"Don't pay any attention to him, Miroku. He's jealous."   
  
"Jealous of what? He's right. I can't perform the spell when everyone else has."  
  
Hachi looked around and then back at Miroku. "Well, maybe you just don't have the right incentive. If you get your staff to come to you, I will give you my sweet rolls tonight at dinner."  
  
Miroku looked at the staff. Hard. I want it. I want it. I want it. The staff did not move.  
  
"Ug! Maybe I wasn't mean to be a priest."  
  
"Alright everyone!" Cried Miko Suijin. "Class is over. Get your things, no one leave their staff or you won't get it back! Miroku, we'll try again tomorrow. If you're still having trouble, we'll set up a time to meet one on one."  
  
"Don't worry Miroku, I know you'll get it." Hachi grabbed his belongings and, with a backward glance, left for his next class.  
  
"Yeah, thanks." Mumbled Miroku. He went to pick up his staff, but as he bent down, he caught sight of Sango through the window. She was in a group of girls, talking and laughing. By chance, she turned to look in his direction.  
  
The staff flew off the ground and promptly hit him in the face.  
  
~  
  
"Higurashi!"  
  
Kagome opened her eyes slowly. It was still dark outside and for a moment she thought she had imagined someone calling out to her. She rolled over in her cot and tried to go back to sleep.  
  
"Kag! Wake up!"  
  
Groaning, she untangled her legs from her sheets and dragged herself into a standing position. Several voices were mumbling outside of her door, and someone was pounding on it, calling out her surname. The floor was cold, and she paused to pull on a pair of slippers.  
  
"Kag, Eshi's gone!"  
  
"What!" Slippers forgotten, she ran to the door and yanked it open. All the boys from her floor stood in a group, wide awake and murmuring amongst themselves. Hojo was the one who had been knocking, and he grabbed her elbow to lead her into the hallway.  
  
"I came to get him for our morning run and he wasn't there. His door was wide open." The sea of boys parted as she hurried through them, heading for Eshi's door; only two down from her own. Hojo was on her heals. "Kouga said that we should come to you if there was a problem."  
  
The door was indeed wide open. His bed had been slept in, but everything else was in place. Something - suspicion she guessed - was gnawing in the pit of her stomach, telling her that something definitely wasn't right.  
  
"What should we do?" She turned to see them all staring at her, waiting for her decision. It very abruptly occurred to her that she wasn't equipped to deal with a situation like this, and she wasn't going to put Eshi's life in danger to pretend that she was. There was really only one choice.  
  
The Duke answered his door in a very rumpled state. His black hair was in a loose ponytail, little bits sticking out in different directions. Shadows lingered under his purple eyes, which were very firmly fixed on Kagome. For her part, Kagome was staring at the floor, feeling her face growing red under his gaze.  
  
"What is it Higurashi?  
  
"S-sir, Eshi's disappeared."  
  
"What?" He was surprisingly clam as she repeated herself, then he slipped into action. "Okay, everyone, buddy up. Quickly grab your swords from your rooms and search the castle. No one goes alone. I don't want anyone to be out of earshot from another group at any time. If you run into problems, just shout and someone will find you. If you find Eshi, bring him directly to my room." He swept back into his quarters and slammed the door.  
  
"Kag? Will you search with me?"  
  
"Of course Hojo. I'll meet you in the hallway." She ran to get her sword and boots.  
  
~  
  
Something exploded outside Miroku's window. The entire shrine shook with the force of it, and he was on his feet, staff jingling in his hand, before he knew what was going on. The tree outside his window was in flames. He could hear screams in the distance and people were running inanely in the hallway and behind his shoji screen. He rushed to join them.  
  
It was like a stampede, and Miroku's first fear was that people were going to be trampled to death. He pushed through the crowd to the front doors and tried the handle. It was locked. Getting desperate as more people started to crowd him, he tried beating it with his staff, to no avail.   
  
Just then, Myoga slid boneless-ly through the swarm as no man his age should ever be able to do. He gave once glance at the door, then Miroku. Mumbling something under his breath, he ambled away and barricaded himself in Miroku's room just before the door handle flared bright green and unlocked. Obviously, Myoga would be of no more help.  
  
Smoke filled the air when he got outside. The tree was still ablaze, lighting up the night sky brilliantly. People stood in a semi-circle around it, but Miroku got the distinct impression that that wasn't what they were looking at. He spotted Hachi in the crowd and ran to join him.   
  
"What's going on?!" He had to yell to be heard over the crackle of the fire and the panicking residents.   
  
"I don't know!"  
  
Someone screamed and the crowd suddenly parted. A boy of about thirteen with black hair walked through them. He was holding a very deadly looking scythe stained with blood. No one was getting in his way and he was headed toward the shrine.  
  
"Kohaku!" Out of nowhere, Sango emerged with her boomerang in hand. She rushed to get in front of the boy, looking incredibly desperate. "Kohaku, what are you doing!?"  
  
The kid stopped when he saw her. His eyes were empty, but he held out his hand and spoke in an abnormal voice. "Give me the scroll."  
  
"What?" She clutched the boomerang a little harder. "Kohaku, where have you-"  
  
"Give it to me." He raised the scythe threateningly. Miroku ran forward, out of the crowd of people.  
  
"Kohaku, I won't fight you."   
  
He brought it down on top of her. "Then you will die."  
  
He would never be able to reach her in time, but luckily for him, he had other tricks up his sleeve. He unwrapped the beads from his right hand and immediately the kazzana started inhaling everything in its path, including Sango. She flew from underneath the boy's blade toward Miroku. He re-wrapped the beads just as she would have been sucked in to the void. Momentum, however, would not be deterred, and she hit Miroku full force, knocking them both several feet backward.  
  
Most of the teachers and older students by now had snapped out of their stupor and stood to face the child. Miko Suijin sent a spell at him, sky blue power exploding where he stood, sending him into a nearby tree. Sango immediately picked herself up off of Miroku painfully and limped as fast as she could in their direction.  
  
"Stop! Stop, that's my brother!" Some of the teachers turned to gawk at her, but there wasn't time, because apparently the boy had recovered enough to sit up and throw something at the shrine. When it hit, the entire east end was ignited. Luckily, most of the people had already exited the shrine, and Miroku's room was on the other side, so Myoga was safe for the time being.   
  
Standing, Kohaku's blank eyes reflected the firelight ominously. He bent to pick up his scythe and came forward. A sandy-haired boy raised his staff and traced a symbol in the air, yellow light trailing after it. The light formed itself into cords before shooting toward Kohaku, entangling him and lifting him into the air. He struggled for a moment before using the weapon to slice through the ropes. He fell to the ground, but picked himself up and continued on toward the shrine.  
  
Miroku slowly got to his feet. Sango was distraughtly trying to gain the attention of the people who were fighting against her brother. No one was paying attention to her, however, because Kohaku was relentless. Every time he got knocked back, he just stood back up. It was like he felt no pain. Miroku could tell that the teachers were getting desperate, and he was afraid that they might try something more drastic to stop him.  
  
~  
  
Kagome tiptoed through the hallway, her hand on the hilt of her sword. Hojo was on her left. The sound of his footsteps was somewhat comforting, but she had seen him in class and she knew that if it came to blows, he would be of very little help.   
  
They had already searched over half of the castle, one wing at a time, and no one had found any clues. In fact, the only excitement had been when Muotoko, a boy from her survival class, had tripped over a suit of armor, causing him to cry out and everyone to come running.   
  
Kagome couldn't help but wonder what Naraku was doing. While he had students out looking for their missing peer and facing possible danger, he blockaded himself in his room. What kind of a teacher did that? It was already obvious to her that there was something wrong with him. She had never had the kind of feeling that she had when looking into his eyes. Miroku had always told her that she had the Sight. She wasn't sure what that was, but she wondered if the feeling she got from the Duke had something to do with it.  
  
The next question was, what did she do about it? He was the Prince's uncle, a member of the royal family. His creditability far outweighed her little inklings. She felt more alone then she would have liked, and she wished she had someone to tell.  
  
She looked up to see that Hojo, lost in his own thoughts, was about to run face-first into an open door. She grabbed his shoulder and yanked him out of the way.  
  
"Thanks." He whispered.   
  
"No problem." Then, something occurred to her. "Oi, this is Kouga's room."  
  
The same room she had been in not two days before. The door was wide open, and the lock had been forced. She didn't want to cause a panic for nothing, it was possible that whoever had been in there was long gone, but she wanted to be prepared. She signaled for Hojo to draw his sword, and she did the same. They entered cautiously.   
  
His room was in shambles: chairs had been smashed against the wall, trinkets that had been on the counter now littered the floor, the sheets off his bed tossed onto the table and the mattress flipped over onto its side. Hojo traded looks with her.  
  
Something crashed to the floor in the adjacent state room, startling them both. They both glanced around the door to see Eshi digging frantically through Kouga's desk. He hadn't noticed them.  
  
"I'll get help." whispered Hojo and ran off.   
  
Well, she knew he wouldn't be of any help. She stepped slowly into the room and sheathed her sword, holding her hands in the air non-threateningly. He was a classmate, not a danger.  
  
"Eshi." He turned sharply on the balls of his feet. His eyes were completely blank. They looked familiar to her; she had seen eyes like that.   
  
"Where is it?" He came at her ruthlessly, grabbed her by the shoulders and shook hard. "Where is it!?"  
  
"Where's what?" Kagome was having trouble concentrating on what he way saying. Her brains where rattling around in her head. She wasn't any good at hand-to-hand combat, but if he kept this up, she would have to try her hand at it for real.  
  
"I have to find it!" He threw her to the ground and advanced on her, drawing his sword. She backpedaled until she met the wall, and then was forced to draw her own sword. Both of them glinted ominously. He brought his sword down over his head, and she thrust up over her own to block him. They met with a shower of sparks.  
  
"Eshi, what are you doing!?" He didn't seem to hear her, breaking away from the stalemate and swinging toward her left shoulder. She hurried to parry him. She blocked most of the force, but she was on the floor and he had the advantage of momentum. It was just like that day in class. His sword knocked hers aside and sliced a sizable gash through her flesh. Kagome bit her lip so hard that it bled, but did not cry out.   
  
It was over. It was one thing to stand up to an angry dog youkai who wasn't really a bad guy but it was quite another to engage a manic boy with a sword and no fear. She didn't have the kind of training she needed to enter a real sword fight anyway, and now she would pay the price. Death in three moves or less, that would be her only legacy. She sat bleeding on the floor, defenseless, while he aimed and swung at her neck, intending to decapitate her.  
  
"Eshi!" They both turned to see Hojo standing in the doorway, with Naraku at his side. Oddly enough, it was Hojo who had cried out. Naraku had the nerve to look vaguely disappointed before he moved forward to deal with the situation. It was at that moment that Kagome realized that Naraku would have gladly sat back to watch her be murdered without doing a thing to stop it. It was sobering,   
  
He grabbed the back of Eshi's shirt and hauled him into the air, the sword dropping to the ground. Eshi barley struggled, and actually went limp after a few seconds. Naraku started to drag him off.  
  
"Wait!" He stopped, but didn't turn around. "What are you going to do with him?"  
  
"Eshi will be locked away until His Majesties are well enough to return and deal with him. It's likely that they will find him unsuitable to remain in the castle any longer than necessary. Hojo, I suggest you take Mr. Higurashi to get fixed up." He left.  
  
Hojo knelt to help Kagome up, blood leaking steadily from the wound in her shoulder. Her entire left side was already soaked in it, and it dripped onto the floor from her lifeless fingers.  
  
"I think we'd better wake up Shouga."  
  
~  
  
Miroku rushed forward, but he was too late. Red power burst from the brown-haired girl, materializing into blade. They sliced through the air, and then into Kohaku.  
  
"No! Stop!" Sango was going insane. Miroku grabbed her arm to physically retrain her and keep her out of the line of fire. Kohaku wasn't, as he had originally thought, invincible. He was bleeding from several places and his right arm hung at an unnatural angle. He was, however, skilled with his weapon despite having only one good arm and he'd already taken the lives of several people in the vicinity.   
  
Miko Suijin had been the main proprietor of holding him off, but even she was getting anxious. She was trying to subdue him without killing him, out of respect for Sango. Miroku could see the sweat on her forehead as she sent another spell at him, catapulting him into the air. While still flying, he threw the scythe, attached to a chain, and it hit the ground just to Miroku's right, spraying dirt and rocks over him and Sango. Some of the debris opened shallow cuts on his face and arms, and he could see a line of blood drawn across her forehead.  
  
Kohaku had crashed into a rock, and several audible snaps from the direction of his ribs echoed through the shrine. Still, he managed to rise and draw the weapon back. Just as he raised his arm to throw it again, he stopped cold and cocked his head, as if listening to something for away. He stayed stock still for a few seconds, then looked straight at Sango. It was only then that she stopped struggling in Miroku's grip.  
  
"Give me the scroll, or this will happen again."  
  
"I…Kohaku, you know I can't do that." He gave her one, last vacant look, before turning around and disappearing into the tree line.  
  
~  
  
"That should do it." pronounced Madam Shouga. Kogome flexed her arm experimentally and winced. Shouga had sewed up her shoulder, tied a bandage over it, and given her a cup of tea to help her sleep. She'd also cast a muted healing spell, saying that her shoulder should be repaired within the week.  
  
When Hojo had first knocked on Shouga's door, the healer had insisted the Kagome take off her shirt so she could reach the wound. Kagome had panicked and told her that she had a rash on her chest that she was waiting to heal before exposing it to air. It was a weak excuse, but it was the first thing she could think of; and luckily, her shirt had been so ripped up that the rest of the arm could be torn away and she could reach the gash just fine. It had been a close call, especially with Hojo sitting right there waiting to help her back to her room. She was going to have to find a healer outside of the palace if she intended to continue injuring herself.  
  
"Thank you Madam Shouga." She hopped off of the bench she had been sitting on. "You do fine work."  
  
"Come and see me anytime." She ruffled Kagome's hair with one hand. "Do me a favor, though. Try to avoid sword fights until you're sure you won't get run through. I'd hate for your corpse to come my way."  
  
"Trust me, Madam. If it can be helped, I won't be wielding a sword again any time soon."  
  
Shouga stayed behind to finish cleaning her supplies while Hojo and Kagome made their ways up to their rooms. Hojo was carrying Kagome's sword for her, and followed her into her room to put it in the corner. The tea was indeed starting to kick in; she could feel a dreamy haze edge into her thoughts.  
  
"I'm glad you were with me tonight, Kag." Hojo was looking around nervously and wouldn't meet her eye. "I'm sorry I left you. If I hadn't, you wouldn't have been-"  
  
"Shut up, Hioj." Kagome yawned and pulled down the sheets on her bed. "If you hadn't gone to get help, chances are he would have killed us both."  
  
Hojo stuttered for a moment before nodding reluctantly and moving toward the entrance. "Good night Kag.  
  
"Mmnight." She mumbled, and he shut the door. She crawled into bed and snuggled into her pillow. She didn't even have the energy to think like a boy anymore and wanted nothing more than to burrow into a huge pile of blankets with her mother. Even as she drifted off, however, one serious thought still wouldn't leave her be. Eshi's eyes had been emptier then they had ever been. Even when he was screaming at her, about to kill her, no emotion awakened within them. She had seen eyes that empty before. If only she could remember where…  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
A/N  
  
Well, hope you enjoyed it. Keep up the reviews; I love 'em! Just mentioning this for posterity, Kagome only gets the feeling when she looks into Naraku's eyes. Otherwise, just being in close proximity to him for a while gives her a headache. Not for long, though. Hehehe. I know there was no Inu, but this stuff had to get taken care of. He'll be in the next one, I promise! 


	4. Romancing The Stone

Okay, kiddos, here's chapter four. I must say, the chapters will come along much faster when summer starts. For now, I only get time to write between classes and papers and play practice and whatnot. It sucks, but what are you gonna do? On the bright side, I was accepted to the University of Hawai'i for next year! I'll be a bonified Hawai'i girl yet. Now if someone could just teach me to surf...

Thanks again to Sashlea, she is fantastic. 

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~ Romancing the Stone

_ Trees surrounded her, and it was raining, droplets throwing up fine mist as they hit the earth. Despite that, it was eerily silent. The only sound was a chord that hummed through the air, something familiar but nameless. It was night, and the shimmer of the full moon created a path in front of her. Naturally, she followed it._

_ It led to a woman all in white. She stood calm and serene, just waiting for Kagome to reach her, smiling slightly. The moon focused its luminosity on her in a single beam. As she came closer, Kagome realized that the woman wasn't wearing white, but that she was white. Not a trace of color touched her anywhere. She was dressed in traditional armor and had long, straight hair to her waist._

_ "Hello Kagome." It wasn't so much a voice as music shaped into words. Kagome had never heard anything like it._

_ "Hello."_

_ "Let us talk." The woman held out a hand and Kagome took it. Instantly she was on a beach with the ocean water rushing over her bare feet. It was still night and still raining, and the woman was pointing out over the water. "I have something that you're going to need."_

_ Something twinkled at her through the dark and drizzle like a star, and she felt something smooth drop into her hand. She looked down to see a pink jewel, slightly larger then a marble, sitting in her palm. The jewel glowed and put off heat, warming her fingers. She looked back up at the woman._

_ "That is the Shikon no Tama." The woman moved forward to lay her colorless hand over Kagome's, sandwiching the jewel between them. The stone flared at the contact. "It will protect you."_

_ "From what?"_

_ The woman smiled again and moved away. "You have a destiny Kagome, and unfortunately, adversity is a part of that destiny."_

_ Kagome was confused, but in the slow and insignificant way of a dream. "Who are you?"_

_ "Midoriko." _

Kagome sat up abruptly and felt the stitches pull in her skin. It was still dark outside, and her own harsh breathing filled the room. Shaking her head firmly, she took a deep breath to calm her racing heart.

"Strange…" What kind of a dream was that? 

Her shoulder was stiff, but healing. It had bled through the bandage sometime in the night, and she was going to have to change it herself to avoid any awkward questions. 

When she swung her leg over the bed to get up, something caught in the sleeve of her nightshirt and pulled around her neck. She reached up with her good arm and her fingers met a chain that hadn't been there when she'd gone to sleep. She pulled on it and dragged out a small, round stone that hung at the end, throwing pink rainbows across the far wall.

The Shikon no Tama.

~

The scroll was so aged and discolored, Miroku was afraid to touch it, lest it crumble to dust under his touch. Everyone else was off tending to the wounded and catching up on some much needed sleep. Kohaku's attack had prompted the teachers to suspend classes for the next day, in order to give everyone some much needed recovery time. Miroku couldn't have slept even if he wanted to, despite the predawn hour.

"So, this is what he was after?"

Sango nodded at him and carefully rolled the scroll back up. "Have you ever heard of the Shikon No Tama?"

"No."

"It was a magical jewel that amplified the power of anyone who owned it by ten. It disappeared at least a hundred years ago; but, while it remained on this earth, my village protected the jewel. This scroll contains the secrets of the jewel's nature. If this scroll fell into the wrong hands, someone could re-create a similar stone for their own ends. I took it with me when-" She cut herself off abruptly and turned away from him, busying herself with putting the scroll back in the locked chest in the corner of the room.

Miroku was no fool. He understood Sango was not ready to talk about what had happened with her family, or about her brother. "So, are you hungry?"

~

"I need your help." Inuyahsa's eyebrows rose in surprise, but he merely stepped aside to let her in. 

Kagome didn't know what to do and since Kouga was still with their Highnesses, and she sure as hell wasn't about to go to Naraku, the only person left that she could think of was the dog youkai. So, she had retraced her footsteps from the night he had showed her home after kidnapping her. The room he lived in was in the back of a bar called "The Sengoku Jidai," and she could just hear the drunks breaking out into a round of "I Am Henry the VIII." She entertained the idea of saying something about it being awfully early in the day to start drinking, but decided against it.

"What's wrong?" He sat down and sipped at an ale that was on the table in front of him and her mouth quirked.

Kagome slipped the chain over her head and dangled it out in front of her. Inuyasha stopped cold and stared at it, entranced. He stood up and reached out clawed fingers towards the swaying jewel. As soon as they brushed the stone, it flared and immediately burn blisters arose on his fingertips. He drew his hand back with a hiss. Apparently, the Shikon No Tama didn't like youkai. Or maybe, it just didn't like Inuyasha. "Where did you get that?"

"I…don't know, really. I woke up and I had it." She didn't want to tell him anymore than he needed to know. After all, Inuyasha was a thief and he stood right in front of her, drooling over the jewel like he wanted nothing more then to rip it from her grasp. "Do you know what it is?"

"I know what I think it is." He snapped. He was suddenly radiating hostility, and she couldn't understand why. He paced the room, seemingly mumbling to himself. He gave her a few aggressive frowns before he grabbed a coat and pulled open the door. "Come on. We're going to visit someone."

She looped the chain back over her head and followed him out the door and onto the road, avoiding the apple merchant who was just setting up on the corner. Inuyasha spoke without turning to face her as he resolutely continued marching ahead, bypassing several groups of people.

"What happened to your shoulder?" 

The question caught her off guard and she stumbled a little. She had been so preoccupied with her strange vision and the sudden appearance of this seemingly magical stone that she had forgotten all about her injury. She rubbed the bandage self-consciously. "A boy in my class went a bit insane and attacked me." 

He turned his head enough to look at her from the corner of his eye. "You were the boy Eshi kicked the crap out of?" 

Her eyebrows lowered and she huffily crossed her arms as best she could. "I wouldn't say he 'kicked the crap' out of me." He snorted and turned back to face the road. "Anyway, how did you know about that?"

"Girl, I am the Head of Thieves. I have spies all over the kingdom, never mind the castle." 

"Oh." The thought had never occurred to her that people could be spying on them. In fact, she was shocked that Inuyasha had such a broad authority. Then she realized that she actually had no idea what a Head of Thieves was. "What is it that you do exactly? I mean, besides stealing."

He laughed - a genuine laugh. "I'm the leader of this city's underbelly. Thieves, murders, they all answer to me." When her mouth fell open, he smirked. "Even a corrupt society needs structure. That's why it's so important for me and Kouga to work together." It was obvious from the tone of his voice that he didn't enjoy working with the Prince. "He runs the honest and rich, and I rule the not so honest and richer. We have to work in tandem or else everything falls apart. A kingdom can't fight itself." 

He didn't say anything else and neither did she. They continued on for about a mile down the road, the buildings becoming smaller and more spread out, till Inuyasha stopped at a cottage at the edge of town. She headed toward the front door, but he shook his head and moved towards the side door, trampling unceremoniously through a bed of flowers on his way. She reluctantly trailed after. He rapped sharply four times, and someone audibility shuffled around inside for a few moments before answering the door.

It was an elderly woman dressed in commoner clothes. She looked to be around sixty years old, and the smell of tea herbs emanated from her as she glanced down at her ruined garden and smiled cordially at Inuyasha. 

"Inuyasha, I see ye felt the need to destroy my flowers again." Her warm, brown eyes took in Kagome in her training armor. "Trying to corrupt the Prince's new recruits now, are ye?"

Inuyasha pushed past her insolently, dragging Kagome after him and into the house. "As if I'd waste my time." He let go of Kagome, flopped onto the floor and crossed his legs and arms. The woman followed his example, a bit stiffly, and knelt across from him. Kagome stood awkwardly to the side, unsure. The woman poured herself a cup of something had had just been heating over the fire and looked up at Kagome.

"Can I get ye something, lad?" She opened her mouth to answer, but Inuyasha beat her too it.

"She's no lad. Kagome's a girl, and anyway, don't offer her anything. She'll only take advantage of you." There was a beat of silence before that sunk in. The woman had the grace to look shocked, and Kagome was mortified. Inuyasha just sat calmly like he had said nothing at all. Before anyone could do anything else, Kagome swung her leg back and kicked him sharply in the ribs.

"Ow! Bitch, what the hell?!" 

"You can't just go around telling people that! It's a secret!"

"Gods." He snarled, rubbing his side. "It's just Kaede. I've known her since I was six!"

"Well, I met her four seconds ago. I don't even know her name!" 

"Are you def, wench? Kaede! Her name is Kaede! I just said that. What's wrong with you?!" By now he was on his feet, and both were nose to nose, screaming at each other.

"Don't call me wench, and I didn't come here to put myself at the mercy of yet another person! And what do you mean 'take advantage'?!"

Kaede sighed and spoke a word that Kagome didn't understand. When Inuyasha opened his mouth to retaliate, no sound emerged. She tested her own voice and found that she, too, was mute. So Kaede was a Miko. The old woman stood up slowly, mostly for dramatic effect, and smiled. 

"Are ye finished?" They both glared at each other, but nodded sullenly. "Good." She said another word, and Kagome waited a moment before clearing her throat loudly. Inuyasha practically threw himself back onto the floor and huffed like a toddler.

"Just show it to her already, so we can get this over with." Kagome was so worked up it took her a moment to remember what he was talking about. When she did, she took the jewel out from underneath her tunic, removed the chain from around her neck, and held it out to the woman.

"Gods be with us." Kaede gasped. She took the jewel, and examined it in her withered hands. "Where did ye get this?" Her eyes met Kagome's with a peculiar intensity.

"I had a dream, and when I woke up, it was around my neck." 

Kaede moved over to a stack of books and riffled through them for a few minutes before selecting one. Kagome turned and looked down at Inuyasha, but he just narrowed his eyes at her and looked away. Kaede came back with her chosen book and opened it to show Kagome. It was a picture of a warrior, a woman, with straight black hair to her waist and wearing traditional armor. The woman from the dream.

"That," said Kaede, noticing the shocked expression on Kagome's face, "was Midoriko. She was the last of a group of female riders that served under Prince Kouga's great, great, great, great grandfather." Kaede closed the book, and sat back down across from Inuyasha. Kagome followed suit and sat facing the other two, but her eyes never left the older woman. She wanted to know what was going on, and it looked like Kaede could give her at least some of the answers. "The women were called The King's Riders. They were all Mikos and they traveled the land slaying youkai like Inuyasha here." 

Inuyasha snorted. "Everyone always assumes all youkai are evil or some shit. It's just another form of racism is what it is."

"Aye," said Kaede agreeably, "but that's a discussion for another time. Two hundred years ago, a great and true evil arose. A youkai who'd built a vast army against the king in his attempt to take over the kingdom. Naturally, the Riders went up against that army, and they succeeded in killing every last warrior. Unfortunately, every one of the women, save for Midoriko, perished. She alone survived to face the leader." Kaede paused to take a sip of her tea and to pour Kagome a cup. "A great battle ensued between the two, and it lasted for four days and nights. Finally, Midoriko was able to trap the youkai inside her spirit, but she in turn was trapped. The two souls were forced from her heart in the form of the Shikon no Tama." She held the jewel out to Kagome and the girl took it reverently.

"So, Midoriko is inside here? Right now? Trapped with that youkai forever?" Kagome held it up to her eye, as if expecting to see two figures inside, battling each other.

"Aye, she is trapped, but not forever. The Shikon no Tama gives anyone who possess it power. Because it's equally made of one good and one evil soul, it depends on who owns it. Should an evil youkai posses the jewel, they would very well become all powerful and take over the land. But," she paused to make sure that Kagome looked up into her eyes, "if a good soul should take possession, then infinite good can come of it."

Inuyasha grunted and both women turned to look at him. "This is ridiculous." He growled spitefully, but didn't elaborate.

"What is your problem?" Kagome demanded. She crawled over to him and put her nose inches from his. "You've been acting peculiar since I showed you the jewel. As in, very, very unbalanced." 

He looked into her eyes for a moment and then looked away. "Keh."

"Never mind Inuyasha." Kaede waved her hand in his direction dismissingly. "He would like to take possession of the jewel for his own ends. He wishes to become full youkai."

"What? What do you mean full -"

"Excuse me, hag!" Inuyasha exploded before jumping to his feet and storming over to loom above Kaede, "Don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong. We came to ask about the rock and now we know. We're leavin'!" He grabbed Kagome's good arm and yanked her to her feet before dragging her towards the door.

"Unhand me!" Kagome struggled in his grip, but it was of no use. Inuyasha was stronger and she was inevitably hauled away. She decided it was time for a little trickery herself. Kaede wasn't the only one with wits.

"Ow! OW!" She cried out and went limp in his grasp. Inuyasha immediately whipped around and let go of her arm.

"What? Did I hit your shoulder?" He looked so guilty that she almost felt bad for faking her pain. Almost. Kagome broke into a grin, and before he could grab her again, ran to the other side of Kaede, sat down, and anchored herself to the floor by wrapping her leg around a nearby table leg.

"There. Kaede, go on. What about him becoming a full youkai?"

"Hag, if you utter one word…" He let the threat hang. Kaede smiled at him, obviously used to such treatment.

"Inuyasha, don't ye find it unfair that you know Kagome's secret, but that she has yet to learn yours? Secrets that may well ruin ye both, should they emerge to light in the public's eye."

"No! I don't! I didn't ask to know about that wench!"

Kaede turned her back to Inuyasha to face Kagome. "Inuyasha is a hanyou. A half youkai."

"Godamnit!" He yelled, and stomped over to sit down again.

~

The dining room wouldn't open for another few hours, but one of the perks of living in a school of magic was that you could make some powerful friends. 

"Thanks Shiboki. I owe you one." 

The taller student winked at Sango and punched Miroku in the arm playfully. "You bet your ass you do. If Myoga knew what I was doing for you two, he wouldn't let me graduate for another year." His green eyes twinkled affably. "Just wash my robes for the next two weeks and we'll be even."

Miroku shook his hand. "Deal." 

Miroku pulled out a kitchen chair for Sango before stepping backwark into the cooking area. "What would you like, m'lady?" He asked with a bow in her direction. "We have eggs, bread and cheese, slabs of some kind of meat that I'm sure I could do something creative with…"

"Eggs, please."

He went to work and Sango leaned back on the chair and closed her eyes, affording Miroku a very nice view of the graceful line of her neck. He cracked a few of the eggs without looking at them, dumped the contents into the heating pan, and tossed the shells into a nearby trash container. The noise caught her attention and she lifted her head to look at him; and, caught him staring, but he didn't look away. She flushed, and tried to look anywhere else. 

"Miroku, why are you here?" When he raised a questioning eyebrow at her, she elaborated, "I mean, why do you want to become a monk?"

"Well, it's just something I've always wanted." He shrugged and whipped the eggs lightly, "That connection to something more powerful then yourself… it's all consuming. I've always wanted, needed, to lead a life of servitude." She nodded vaguely in response, and stared off into space. Her eyes looked glazed and he couldn't tell if it was because of the early hour or something else. 

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Well, there you go. I know how the story's going to go, but I love to hear predictions, so feel free to take a guess. Holy crap this thing if fun to write. ;)


	5. Stuck Between a Rock And a Hanyou

I am SO sorry this took so long. I can only throw up school, sickness, and computer troubles as my defense, and what a piss-poor one it is, too. Anyway, this chapter was slow, and refused to be written properly, and even with the ever-glorious Sashlea's help, I still hate parts of it. But, whatever. The next one will be better and hopefully will get the story moving in a forward direction. Until then, I'm always open for glorified praise (i.e., R&R pro favor).

And, in response to some questions, this is a Kag/Inu story, because anything else makes me very sad. And this is not an original story. If you don't read my author notes, don't yell at me for not saying I stole it. I DID. Alanna, blah, blah, blah… First chapter.

* * *

"Dog youkai are a very rare breed. The only other one I know of is Inuyasha's half brother, Sesshomaru, and he lives far across the seas in the Western Lands."

Inuyasha snorted, "Let's not bring that self-possessed jerk into this."

"Yes, well…" Kaede cleared her throat uncomfortably, "Such facts serve Inuyasha fine, for no one knows how a full dog youkai looks and thus knows that Inuyasha is..." She gave him a quirked look, "abnormal."

Kagome looked Inuyasha over. She wasn't an expert on the world's population of youkai, but he didn't look any different from any other one she'd met. They all had some characteristics of the animals they were supposed to personify, and it made her wonder just what this Sesshomaru looked like. If he was anything like Inuyasha, she imagined he was stunning.

Almost as if he could read her thoughts, Inuyasha simultaneously glared at her and color flared in his cheek. "Stop staring at me, wench." She smiled, blushed as well, and looked away.

"Well, you've both worn this old woman out." Kaede said, standing. "I do have other things to be done today, and I think I shall conserve my strength for them."

Kagome dragged her feet a ways back from where Inuyasha was kicking up dust, leading them back to the castle. She stared at the back of his head, trying to burn a hole through it. If Inuyasha sensed her eyes on him, he did not react in the least. He seemed to her to be a dubiously sympathetic guy for having the kind of power he claimed to have. Cocky? Yes. Jaded? Yes. Insufferably annoying and one-sided? Most definitely. But none the less, unquestionably too kind hearted to be a Head of Thieves. What sort of director of murderers would care if he had jostled a little girl's injured shoulder?

They were half way back to the palace when Kagome broke the silence. "You're awfully nice for a murdering thief."

Inuyasha jerked to a halt, turned around, gave her a stunned look and stuttered for a moment. "I don't...well, I mean…that's…Keh!" His ears flickered back and forth in such a nervy way that she suspected he wasn't even aware of it, and he turned back to face the road, stomping forward resolutely. "I," he said in a very clear voice, obviously meant to carry as far as it would go, "am not a nice guy. If you're getting some delusions of a soft-hearted Romeo who just needs a little love from a good woman, I suggest you reevaluate what's in front of your face princess."

"Gods, take it easy." Kagome soothed, a little offended. "You act like you've never been complimented before."

He didn't say anything, didn't turn around, didn't react at all except a slight stiffening of the muscles in his back and the quickening of his pace.

It then occurred to Kagome that he may never have been.

* * *

The day progressed slowly. The shrine was a complete loss, and much of it was going to have to be torn down and rebuilt altogether. Sango had gone to her room after breakfast and had not come out for the rest of the day. As much as Miroku appreciated her company, he couldn't say that he was entirely unhappy. Hachi had been injured by flying debris and Miroku had spent most of his day alternating between taking care of his friend's needs and helping to clear away the wreckage of the east wing. 

Myoga, while obviously not, as Nobunaga had put it, "the bravest knight in the kingdom," he was surprisingly powerful and wise. He had done half of the work himself, and had kept tight control of the reconstruction efforts. It was easy to see why he was the shrine master and throughout the day, Miroku's respect for the old man grew considerably.

He knew it was selfish, but one of the darkest things looming over Miroku was the fact that he had used kazaana. He had used it in front of everyone and now they knew. No one had mentioned it at all, but every moment he expected someone to walk up to him with an enraged face and demand that he be sent back to his father. To yell that a freak like him did not belong in a holy school of learning. What would he do if that happened? If he was sent back, his father would know about Kagome. He would have let down both himself and his beloved sister. Everything they had worked toward would have been –

"Miroku! Quit your daydreaming and help us out here!" He shook his head and went to help his classmates levitate the boulder that had crashed through the room where, ironically, his levitation classes had been held. No one had even looked at him in an unfriendly way, but the paranoia stayed with him until long after he went to sleep that night.

* * *

The next few weeks crawled by at an agonizing pace. The professors had all heard about Eshi and did not appear terribly sympathetic. Kagome had expected them to have an alternate assignment for her concerning swordsmanship, and when she asked Kouryu for it, he had given her a crusty look that made her feel no better then a common beggar and told her to switch hands. 

Beyond that torture, Kagome had received a letter from Miroku saying that the shrine had been attacked. He assured her over and over that no one had been seriously injured, least of all him, but the way it was worded gave Kagome the distinct impression that he was hiding something from her.

Kouga had returned, but their majesties had not. Their sickness was not improving and, with Kouga's return, was not even a secret anymore, and the entire kingdom seemed to be walking on pins and needles, unnaturally quiet. Kouga himself seemed distracted, but otherwise back to the overconfident prince that she remembered from her first day. Kagome could only hope that meant that he knew something the rest of them didn't.

Hojo came to be her replacement running partner and, while she absolutely despised getting up any earlier then was absolutely necessary, she started to notice, after a few weeks, an increase in her stamina and muscle tone. It was an advantage she was happy to obtain after what seemed like months of falling behind, and it was her only motivation for dragging herself out of a warm bed at a wicked hour of the morning.

Inuyashsa had dropped her off at the castle after their visit with Kaede and she had not seen him since. She did sometimes spot, out of the corner of her eye, Bankotsu, Inuyasha's spy that had kidnapped her so many nights ago, lurking in the shadows, watching her. She had a feeling that she was going to be under watch for quite a while if the hanyou had anything to say about it. She was, after all, officially a threat to his position.

The only positive part of the last few weeks was the fact that she had not run into the Duke at all. No one had mentioned Eshi's fate, but there was a general undertone among her peers that he would never be seen again, at least not by any of them. The Duke had since become absorbed in some kind of project, even to the point of, thankfully, handing over his classes to another professor in favor of locking himself in his room at the end of the hall. Kagome only saw him once, right before he shut the door, with an arm full of medical supplies.

Kaede had been writing her letters twice a week, mostly in response to whatever problem Kagome had been complaining about in her letter before. In the last letter, Kagome had told Kaede of the duke, and the strange feeling she got when she looked into his eyes.

_Dearest Kagome,_

_The Duke Naraku is a dangerous man. Please stay as far away from him as you can. I shouldn't tell you this, but he has a history of dark magic and treason toward his country. This isn't common knowledge and certainly no one in the castle is privy to it, so be careful whom you share your concerns with. We will talk more of it when I see you again, but when it comes to matters of Naraku, the walls have ears._

_Burn this letter once you read it._

_Kaede_

It was information like this that made Kagome feel more alone then she had before. She was grateful to learn anything she could in defense against the duke, and she now had more substantial reasons for her dislike of him, but while Kaede became her confidant outside the castle, she remained inexorably alone inside their walls. Several times in casual conversation with the boys she had hinted to the abnormality of the duke, trying to goad someone into expressing some kind of aversion for him, but no one ever had. It became painfully clear that she was unaided in her fight.

The jewel, also, had proven utterly useless in the past few weeks. When Kaede had said it would amplify the power of the bearer, Kagome assumed she would become stronger, faster, smarter. So far she only felt weaker, slower, and more absent-minded then she could ever remember feeling. The bloody thing was of no help at all, and she began to feel less and less privileged to have it.

* * *

Slowly things had gone back to normal at the shrine. It had taken a few days for everyone to get back into the swing of things after everything had been rebuilt, but classes had started up and the injured had almost recovered, all of which made it easier to pretend that nothing had happened. Or, at least, that's what Miroku would have loved to do, had it not been for Sango. She'd locked herself into her room for two days after their breakfast, refusing even food left at her door. She'd eventually come out in the middle of the night and woken him up while standing outside his window and beheaded a tree her hirikotsu. It had been worrisome, to say the least, but as she continued to mope around the shrine, even Myoga became concerned. While he didn't want to push her, Miroku couldn't let her do this to herself anymore and he found himself at her door. 

"What?" It wasn't rude, but he found himself insulted all the same.

"I want you to tell me what happened at your village."

She laughed, but it held no mirth. "What's to say? I'm sure you've heard the stories."

"I have. Which is why I want _you_ to tell me what happened."

She stepped back into her room, leaving the door open. He took this as an invitation and followed her inside.

The room was sparsely furnished, but Miroku could see bits and pieces of Sango in it. A thick quilt folded on the mat, the ever-present boomerang leaned against the far wall, a tea pot and cup steaming on the small table. Sango motioned for him to sit. The cut on her forehead had scabbed over and stood out on her white skin like a badge. Whether of courage or ruin he couldn't say.

"Where do you want me to start?"

"Well, I know you had a village, a family. Obviously a brother." She flinched and he rushed to continue, "What I don't know for sure is what happened to them all. To your life. What drove you here?"

She turned to look out the window and didn't speak for a long time. When she turned to face him again, she seemed to have aged twenty years. "My family slew youkai as a profession. We had for generations. My father taught me, he was taught by his father, who was taught by his mother, and so on. Our entire village was skilled at it. We had to be." She seemed to be struggling with something. Miroku got the sense there was something she didn't want to tell him.

"You don't have to tell me everything, you know."

"I want to tell someone. Myoga-sensi is the only other person who knows now, and as you can imagine, he's…less than reassuring." Miroku smiled, but said nothing. "Anyway, long ago, a very special artifact was brought to our village. A jewel, called the Shikon no Tama."

"I thought that was a myth!"

Sango shook her head. "It was brought to us for protection. The priestess who was in possession of the jewel could no longer purify it, so she left it in the caves near our village and set up a barrier. When youkai came looking for the jewel, we were there to keep them from it. We performed that task. For over a hundred years." He could tell that she was proud, and he was glad to hear in her voice that she still carried that pride. At least she still had that. "But the jewel disappeared long before I was born. No one knows what happened to it, but the village continued the tradition of fighting youkai."

She stopped and sat down, looking very small. "My brother…Kohaku. He was younger then I. He was in the middle of his training when…" She stopped for a moment and changed tactics. "Kohaku was special. He was…gentle. He was worried that father was disappointed in his progress. Violence wasn't in his nature, and father took a firmer hand then…" She stopped again. Miroku had a hard time believing she was describing the boy who had demolished the shrine only days before.

"Anyway, one day, a giant youkai showed up and…well it…did something. It took over Kohaku somehow. It made him-" Her voice broke and buried her face in her hands. He could barely make out what she said when she spoke next. "It made him slaughter our family."

Suddenly the pieces fell into place

Hachi at the table. _She showed up on the shrine's doorstep with a scythe in her back…_

Kohaku's scythe hitting the ground to their right, spraying them with rocks.

Miroku's eyes were instantly brought back to the scratch on her forehead, now at eye level as she continued to sob into her arms.

"Oh, Sango…"

* * *

Kouga cornered Kagome in her room before she'd had a real chance to get breakfast and asked if she'd meet him in the city. She agreed and he gave her directions and an hour to get ready, leaving another bottle of oil on her dresser. She bathed and dressed, and ran into Hojo on the way out, who insisted she join him for horseback riding with him and his cousin the next afternoon. She hastily agreed and set to work on finding the place where Kouga wanted to meet her. 

It was a small and dirty place down a back ally near the bar where Inuyasha lived. Kagome wondered why the royal prince would even know such a place existed, much less why he would want to have a meal with her there. Then she remembered that the two princes were working in tandem. She wondered for the millionth time just what was going on in this kingdom. When she entered, a man approached her and led her to a private back room where Kouga was waiting for her. Of course he would have a private room. The servant left them.

"Kagome, I wanted to thank you. You held to your word far beyond what you agreed to and I'm extremely regretful that you were injured. I know you were just doing what I asked of you."

Kagome bowed the best she could while sitting across from him. "Not at all, Highness. A knight's duty is to her Prince, is it not?" It shocked her when he started laughing.

"I'm sorry. I've never heard a knight's duty used in the feminine sense. I guess I'm not used to it."

She tried to hide how insulted she was, until he added, "I hope to hear a lot more of it." She smiled. "And please stop calling me Highness."

From then on, the breakfast was easy and entertaining. They joked about Professor Kouryu, apparently Kouga had him for Intermediate Swordsmanship and liked him just about as much as Kagome, and Kagome let slip how glad she was to be getting away from the palace food, to which Kouga responded that for the prince it wasn't so bad, but for a paige, he knew how awful it could be. He could only promise that it would get better as she progressed in years and that he would try to sneak her something tasty every now and then.

"How are the King and Queen?" Kagome asked during a lull in the conversation.

Kouga grew somber. "Not well, I'm afraid. The healers have been able to at least stop the progression of the illness in father, but mother…" He trailed off. Kagome was reminded yet again that the man sitting in front of her was really just a boy, barely a year older then herself.

"I'm sorry."

He smiled at her. "So am I. But, it's not over yet, right?" She nodded.

Kouga was called back to the castle, but Kagome had the whole day off of classes, so she decided to wander the city. She visited the fruit stands the longest, picking out snacks for Kaede in thanks. She was just heading back when she spotted a pair of familiar, white triangles in the middle of a crowd, heading in her direction. She stopped, wondering if she should wait for him to see her or slip away and avoid him altogether. In the end, her hesitancy made the decision for her.

He broke through the crowd and looked up. She half smiled, unsure of what to do in this situation. Be polite?

"Oy, bitch."

That answered that question. She glanced around. No one seemed to be paying any attention. "Would you mind being a little quieter? Or you could just call me Kag, like every other human being in this kingdom."

"Yeah, yeah." He mumbled.

"What are you doing?"

He started walking down a side road and she fell into step behind him. "Working."

She glanced down to see his pockets, bulging and with a suspicious jingling coming from inside. "Oh."

He gave her a sidelong glance. "Is there a reason you're following me, wench?"

"No. I just…" She stopped, and he took a few more steps before stopping as well and turning to face her. "You know, you are the most infuriating…Gha!" She turned to leave.

"You smell like Kouga."

She turned back. "What?"

"You smell like Kouga. It's disgusting." He sneered at her. "You should take a bath. A young boy wandering through the kingdom smelling like the Prince…" He feigned a feminine voice, "People will talk."

Her mouth fell open. He sniggered and sauntered away. By the time she came up with a proper response (throw a rock at his head), he was already out of sight. She threw the rock anyway, to get out her aggression, and turned…just in time to bump into a very solid wall of purple silk.

"Kag." It was Naraku. This realization sent her heart pumping and she very suddenly realized how secluded they were back in the dark ally. She backed up several paces and, remembering herself, bowed somewhat stiffly and shallowly.

"Duke Naraku."

"What are you doing back here, Kag? This is no place for a representative of the crown."

She bit her tongue till she tasted blood in an effort not to spit out that he was a Duke of the crown, and just as far down this shady street as she was. "My apologies. I must have taken a wrong turn in my effort to get back to the castle."

He stared at her for a long minute, and she met his eye defiantly. A pleasant warmth was penetrating the skin just over her heart, but she didn't dare break the stalemate to see what it was. She saw a glint of surprise mixed with suspicion in his eye before he stepped aside and gestured with his hand. "Then you'd better be on your way before someone starts to miss you."

She bowed quickly again and hurried past him, breathing a sigh of relief as soon as she hit the throng of people in the main street. She pushed a hand against her chest and felt the lump of the Shikon no Tama just above her heart just about the time she realized that she had stared the Duke down and hadn't felt that sick feeling from before._ Well_, she though, _maybe it's good for something after all.

* * *

_

Will Kouga steal Kagome's heart (fat chance)? Will Inuyasha ever _not_ act like a seven-year-old? Will Kagome ever figure out what the hell is going on? Will Kaede get some hot Sesshomaru action?

…too far? Ah, well. You…know what I mean.


End file.
